What are amiibo?

amiibo are interactive figures and cards that work with your games. Tap an amiibo while playing compatible Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS or Wii U software and you’ll uncover surprising new features! amiibo have different effects depending on the game: you might unlock new modes, weapons or character customisations, or even boost your amiibo’s abilities to turn it into your perfect partner – or a formidable foe!

With the NFC Reader/Writer accessory (sold separately), you can also use amiibo with Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL and Nintendo 2DS!

amiibo come in different forms

Some amiibo are figures, while others are cards, but they act the same way and can do the same things no matter which form they're in! If you have a compatible amiibo, you can tap it while playing compatible software to power up your gameplay in different ways!

Unlock new content!

Access new content in your games with amiibo! Get extra items, meet new characters and more when you use amiibo in compatible software.

In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, if you tap the Wolf Link amiibo you can can summon Wolf Link to appear in-game and join you as a partner.

In Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Welcome amiibo, if you tap a compatible amiibo you can invite animals to your town to visit. You can even ask them to move in!

Power up the party!

In Mario Party: Star Rush, tapping an amiibo figure from the Super Mario Collection lets that character join you as an ally in Toad Scramble. In other modes, you can play as the amiibo character, receive special Dice Blocks or get other bonuses!

In Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, tapping an Animal Crossing amiibo figure lets you use that character as your board game counter. You can also use Animal Crossing amiibo cards to play fun minigames!

Train up a powerful fighter!

In some games, you can build up your amiibo’s abilities as you play, allowing you to create an amiibo character just for you!

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, amiibo can be trained up as your strongest ally – or your fiercest opponent. Bring an amiibo into the action as a Figure Player, then fight alongside it or against it. The more a Figure Player fights, the more it'll level up, and it'll even pick up tactics from any opponents it fights!

One amiibo, multiple games

A single amiibo can be used with multiple games, adding a whole new level of fun to your favourite titles. Even if you have game data from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U saved on your amiibo, you can still use it to unlock content in lots of other games too!

amiibo-compatible games are separated into two types:

Read/write

Some software can read and write specific data to and from amiibo, so your amiibo’s abilities can change as you play.

Read

Other games only read data from amiibo; for example, tapping an amiibo might bring that character or some of their attributes into the game!

It's only possible to store data from one game that uses the read/write function on an amiibo at any one time, but an amiibo can be used with games that use the read function whether they have save data stored on them or not. To find out more about managing your amiibo save data and amiibo Settings, visit our FAQ section.

A software update may be required to use amiibo functionality in amiibo compatible games. A system update may also be required to use amiibo functionality.

Mii and amiibo

Simply tap an amiibo to register your Mii data to make it your own! You can also assign a nickname to your amiibo. As you use it in games, your amiibo will develop to become unique to you!

Figures shown not actual size. Designs may vary. Compatibility and functionality of amiibo may vary between games.